I initially wanted to play some FF7 on Monday. My only copy of the game is somewhere lost in my apartment, so I figured I’d try to do the right thing and buy it again on Steam.

It was eleven bucks…

…which I suppose isn’t a huge deal; it’s not like old movie classics are cheaper to buy than their new counterparts. I more or less happily paid the price for a quality game.

A quick download later and I was ready to go! Except for one thing:

you have to create a Square account and log in to play.

What? This is a twenty year old PSX game, why on earth should I need to create an online account and log in? Not that I am condoning piracy, but things like this are exactly why piracy is often seen as a quality alternative. What if a player downloaded the game before heading on a trip where he didn’t have internet?

What if… gasp… someone didn’t want to have a Square account?

What benefit does Square get by making people do this? They get our email addresses, sure, but now I am significantly less likely to buy one of their games on steam again.

Also, why do the adults of FF7 think it’s ok to let a four year old run a dingy bar? WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, SQUARE?

Crap like this is a large part why Im more and more losing interesting in digital entertainment. I’m tired of having to make accounts for every tiny little thing just so the developers can keep track of absolutely every movement I make online, I’m tired of the arbitrary annoying rules, I’m tired of EVERYTHING.